1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printing apparatus and a print processing method which perform a printing process, based on an instruction from a host device, and especially relates to a printing apparatus and a print processing method having a function of admitting printing, which admits a printing process based on admission information assigned in the instruction.
2. Description of Related Art
In a conventional art, a printing apparatus, for example, what is disclosed in JP2000-177211, receives a printing data from a host device such as a personal computer, and it performs a desired printing process based on the printing data. Moreover, in case where a printing process is performed by a printing apparatus having a function of admitting printing, which admits a printing process based on admission information assigned in the instruction sent from the host device; various printing jobs contained in a controller section of the printing apparatus, are presented at a presenting screen of an operator panel of the printing apparatus. Therefore, when an operator inputs a password corresponding to a job selected at the operator panel so as to send the password to the printing apparatus, if the password received from the host device accords with the password of the corresponding job, the printing apparatus performs a printing of a job contained and presented at the operator panel. For example, when the host device sends a printing data made by the host device with attaching an identifying code, the printing apparatus performs a printing process only of a specific printing data corresponding to the identifying code registered beforehand at the printing apparatus. Thereby, even when printing data are sent from unlimited host devices to the printing apparatus, the printing apparatus performs a printing process only of a specific printing data corresponding to the identifying code. Therefore, the printing information is kept secret when a printing is performed.
However, in the conventional printing apparatus having a function of admitting printing mentioned above, a printing might be admitted in case where a password inputted from a host device by the third party who sends the password to the printing apparatus had accidentally accorded with a password of a job registered in the printing apparatus. Therefore, protection of secret of printing information was weak. Moreover, in case where a password being used by a user had leaked out to a third party for some reason, a printing process was performed freely by the third party.
The present invention is made to solve the problem mentioned above and it aimed at providing a printing apparatus and a print processing method which perform a printing process with a function of admitting printing, based on a password received from a host device and based on information attached relating to the password.